ENVIRONMENT

Yad Hanadiv's Environment Programme seeksto improve the health and resilience of Israel's natural, agricultural and urban ecosystems in order to enhance the well-being of Israelis.

Our attention to environmental issues grew out of conservation efforts at Ramat Hanadiv Nature Parkwhich the Foundation has operated since the 1950s. In 2007 theEnvironment & Health Fundwas established to create professional capacity and academic expertise on the impact of environmental factors on public health. In recent years Yad Hanadiv’s Environment Programme has focused on the theme of conservation and until 2012 on a strategic initiative to improve the interface between science and policy regarding management of natural resources. This included support forHamaarag – a programme under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences to advance science-based management of Israel’s ecosystems; support for theIsrael Taxonomy Initiativeoperated by Tel Aviv University to revive taxonomic studies and improve understanding of biodiversity; and for Mimshak – a programme by the Israeli Association of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, to place postdoctoral level fellows in the public sector in order to advance science-based environmental policy. Yad Hanadiv also operatesNekudat Hen, which promotes conservation-oriented agricultural land use, planning, policy and practice.

CURRENT STRATEGIC INITIATIVESMarine Conservation in the MediterraneanSince 2013 we have been pursuing a strategic initiative to ensure adequate conservation of the ecosystem in the Mediterranean Sea. In the coming decade, efforts will be directed towards curbing the degradation of Israel’s marine area, including its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in order to ensure its role as a vital and meaningful contributor to the country's economy. This is based on the understanding that marine and coastal ecosystems are responsible for up to 2/3 of the benefits humans obtain from nature, but they are among the most threatened on the planet; and have not, thus far, been addressed accordingly.